Magic History was the last class of the afternoon, and since it was set to end half an hour early, as soon as the bell rang, everyone rushed out of the classroom in a frenzy.
Kael and Conna returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room and, following instructions, changed into the cloaks reserved only for the Christmas banquet. Then, together with the others, they made their way to the entrance hall.
Professor Sprout lined them up at the doors to the auditorium, with the first years at the front, followed in order...
Kael noticed that Professor McGonagall was standing nearby, inspecting everyone's attire.
"Weasley, straighten your hat..."
"Finnigan, fasten your cloak..."
"Patil, take off that ridiculous thing on your head!"
...
Once all the students had assembled, Professor McGonagall glanced at the time, then led them out the main doors and onto the castle grounds.
By now the moon was already hanging over the Forbidden Forest. Several of the younger wizards were standing there, shivering all over, but whether it was from excitement or the cold, no one could say.
Out of sight of the professors, everyone lowered their voices and whispered eagerly, speculating about how the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would arrive.
"I think it'll be Apparition," Fred said. "Just imagine—a whole group of people popping out of thin air right in front of the school! That would be awesome!"
"I doubt it," Cedric shook his head. "Apparition's forbidden on Hogwarts grounds. They can't just show up outside the gates and walk in. So I reckon it'll be broomsticks. Don't forget—Durmstrang's Viktor Krum is a Quidditch star; making an entrance on a broom would only boost his fame."
"You know how far Durmstrang is from here?" George said dramatically, "Only a fool would ride a broomstick all that way... I still say Apparition makes more sense. Maybe Professor Dumbledore has already lifted the school's restrictions."
George couldn't help raising his voice as he spoke. Professor McGonagall heard him and shot a stern look in their direction.
"Ah, unless I'm mistaken..." At that moment, Professor Dumbledore, who was standing at the back of the group, called out, "The Beauxbatons delegation has arrived!"
Kael looked up and quickly spotted an enormous powder-blue carriage hovering over the Forbidden Forest.
The carriage was outrageously large—about the size of a house—and it was being drawn through the air by twelve winged Abraxan horses.
Unlike Thestrals, Abraxan horses, although winged, still looked like great silver-maned stallions—and much bigger too, about as large as elephants.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage landed with an earth-shaking crash... Now that it was closer, those massive Abraxans looked even bigger. The students in the front rows couldn't even reach up to a single horse's leg.
Then the carriage door opened, and a boy in a pale blue robe jumped down and unfolded a golden stepping-stair beneath the door.
Then a gleaming black high-heeled shoe extended from inside the carriage.
"Oh... wow!" Cedric gasped, finally understanding what Kael meant.
Ms. Maxime was an absolute giant, at least three or four meters tall—the only one at Hogwarts who could compare was Hagrid.
Dumbledore began to applaud, and the students followed his lead with clapping hands.
First those huge horses, and now the headmistress herself—no wonder a lot of people were wondering... Wouldn't it be something if all the Beauxbatons students were giants?
Imagine competing in the Triwizard Tournament against a two- or three-meter-tall student—could they even hope to win...
Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The students who stepped out of the carriage after were all normal-sized.
One student, wrapped in a scarf, glanced straight at the Hogwarts students by the castle doors as soon as she stepped down, as if searching for someone.
When she spotted Kael among the crowd, she waved excitedly.
Kael waved back, though with so many people around and himself somewhere in the middle, he could only manage it that way.
"You know her?" Conna blinked.
"Yeah." Kael nodded. "Remember that friend I mentioned in France?"
Conna thought for a moment. "The one who sent you French chocolate?"
"That's right, her name's Fleur Delacour," Kael said. "We met at Nicolas Flamel's house. Back then, Ms. Maxime hinted that she'd also participate in the Triwizard Tournament."
Conna craned her neck to get a better look, but by this time the students had already gathered around Ms. Maxime, completely blocking her view.
"Hey, look at the Black Lake..."
Just as the two headmasters were speaking, a shout went up.
Everyone immediately turned to look. The once-calm surface of the lake had erupted into huge waves.
"Something's coming out of there!" George blurted out.
"Looks like Karkaroff's here too," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Right on time."
Ms. Maxime nodded. She had been about to take her students into the castle to warm up, but since the Durmstrang crew had arrived, she didn't mention it again.
Soon, a black mast rose from the surface of the lake, followed by a grand, imposing ship surfacing from the depths.
It looked very odd—like a long-lost shipwreck that had just been salvaged, or some legendary ghost ship, perhaps.
Yet admittedly, this style had its own appeal—at least Fred and George were totally awestruck.
"That thing is amazing..." Fred sidled up to George and whispered, "What if we turned Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes into a ghost ship?"
"Ha! I was just thinking the same thing," George grinned.
"Hey... Look at that person!"
This time the crowd erupted again—and even more excitedly than before.
"No way, I can't believe it—it's Krum!" someone shouted in excitement.
As the most famous Quidditch player at the moment, Viktor Krum had a massive following among the students. As soon as he stepped out of the ship's cabin, he was instantly recognized.
Everyone turned their gaze his way—so much so that nobody paid attention to the man walking in front of him.
Karkaroff, headmaster of Durmstrang, was tall and thin, with cropped white hair and a pointed little goatee. He looked very sharp indeed.
"Welcome, Headmaster Karkaroff," Dumbledore stepped forward and said with a smile.
"Dumbledore!" Karkaroff spread his arms wide. "My dear old friend, how are you!"
"Splendid," Dumbledore replied, embracing him briefly.
Then Karkaroff approached Ms. Maxime and executed a courtly hand-kiss.
The three headmasters chatted enthusiastically for a while, and then Dumbledore led them into the castle.
...